One Man Band

One Man Band

It seems to me
The only night in October
That I didn't cry
Was the night
That I met you

It started simply enough
Halloween Eve
A costume party
In my store-bought dress
I was orange and black
And you
You were gold and green

I still remember
The first thing you said
Mixing drinks in the kitchen
Glancing out at me
You liked me from the start
And I
I can say the same

"So, this is the part where we make small talk"

You were witty
Not the least bit shy
And it made me smile
We said something
About the weather
Maybe
Something
About what I do for a living
About my work
About your school

But I didn't really listen to the words

It was when you played guitar
When I sat enraptured
Across the room
While you sang and strummed
Voice carrying to my soul
Your ex-girlfriend
Sitting next to you
That I knew

You pulled out a harmonica
Added it to the repetoire
Guitar
You played so naturally
Tambourine
You were tapping with your foot
Harmonica
The only thing you struggled with
And a tenor's voice
That made me smile
At this one man band

I couldn't tear my eyes
Or ears
Or heart
Away

And you knew
I was the only one who heard
Because she was talking
About her boots
And you looked up at me
Smiled a little
And said "Well, at least you were listening"

And all I could do was smile back